Multicolor flock printing machine



March 1942. N. c. THACKERAY arm.

MULTICOLOR FLOCK PRINTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 9, 1940 8 Sheets-Sheet 1ATTOMYS.

Mai-ch 31', 1942.

N. c. THACKERAY ETAL 2,273,227 MULTICOLOR FLOCK PRINTING MACHINE FiledOct. 9, 1940 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 5} may ZZZ-G. Z.

. NORMA N C. 7'/-/A CKERA Y I. .fl llll I... 1... llllllllllllllllll IIJI |Il|.. a W 1| |I I o O O O O W O 9 Z w o o o o o 0 on I I1? r w a a wxx aw l a Q l. i v/w O .q/m 0 M Xm AW N M w 7 I m H N. v M O Q March 31,1942. N. c. THACKERAY EI'AL 2,278,227

MULTICOLOR FLOCK PRINTING MACHINE Filed Oct 9, 1940 .8 Sheets-Sheet 3NORMA/V C. THACAEEAY GEO/Q65 /V wro/v L 056).

v INVENTORS.

March 31, 1942 N. c. THACKERAY ET AL MULTICOLOR FLOCK PRINTING MACHINEFiled Oct. 9, 1940 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS.

A TTORMYS.

Q NN March 1942- N. C..THACKERAY ETAL I 2,278,227

MULTICOLOR FLOCK PRINTING MACHINE Filed 001;. 9, 1940 I -8 Sheets-Sheet6 NORMA/V C. TVAC'Af/QAY 050 965 Mauro/v 055x INVENTORS.

AIYOX/VEYS.

March 31, 1942.

N. C. THACKERAY ET AL MULTICOLOR FLOCK PRINTING MACHINE s Sheets-Sheet 7Filed Oct. 9, 1940 INVENTORS.

A TTOzQ/VEYS.

March 31, 1942. N. c. THACKERAY ET AL 2,278,227

MULTICOLOR FLOCK PRINTING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENI'ORS.

Filed Oct. 9, 1940 Patented Mar. 31, 1942 2,278,227 MULTICOLOR FLOCKPRINTING MACHINE Norman C. Thackeray, New Rochelle, N. Y., and

George Newton Lusby, Hightstown,

N. J.; said Lusby assignor to said Thackeray Application October 9,1940, Serial No. 360,492

12 Claims.

This invention relates toimprovements in flock printing upon fabric,paper or the like, and more particularly to a multi-color ornamentaldesign flock printing machine.

The primary object of the invention resides in a flock printing machinewhich will perform automatically what has heretofore been done manually,namely the stencil printing of the multicolored adhesive ornamentaldesign areas upon the fabric or other surface to be flocked.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a flock printing machinein whichthe stencil printing of the adhesive upon a fabric is performedduring the continuous movement of the fabric through the machine, thusexpediting the adhesive printing and subsequent flocking operation.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a multi-colorflock printing machine in which any number of different colors may beincorporated in an ornamental design during the continuous movement ofthe fabric through the machine, there being separate printing units forprinting the different colored adhesive design areas, and a positivemeans for accurately aligning color flocked areas forming part of thedesign with the printing unit of the next colored areas to be printedand flocked, and which complete the niulti-color design.

A still further feature of the invention is the provision of a flockprinting machine in which the printing heads of the printing units maybe quickly and easily adjusted relative to the fabric being printed inorder tocorrect any variations of alinement between the printing headsduring the printing of the different colored components of a multi-colorflock design to be printed.

Other important features of the invention will become apparent as thefollowing specification is read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a flock printing machineconstructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan viewwith parts broken away, and the tenteringframe and fabric re- Figure 3 is a rear side elevational View with partsin section.

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sectional viewsubstantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sectional view on the line5-5 of Figure 3, illustrating the parts in adhesive printing position.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse sectional viewon Figure l.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line l-l of Figure1.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of a flocking apparatus composed of twoprinting machine units.

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic top plan view illustrating the method ofmulti-color flockprinting, the adhesive applicator devices beingillustrated in cross section.

Figure 10 is a detail vertical sectional view of a modified form ofadhesive applicator device.

Figure 11 is a vertical sectional view on the line H-II of Figure 10.

Flock printing consists in applying an adhesive substance to the basematerial such as a fabric, paper, or the like, to which fine particlesof flock such as rayon, cotton, wool, or the like 20' adhere. Byapplying the adhesive substance to the base material by stencilprinting, various ornamental designs may be produced. By successivelyprinting various components of the design in different c010rs andapplying corresponding flock, multi-color flock designs may be produced,which in practice resembles a colored embroidery design upon the basematerial. So far as we are aware, multi-color flock printing has beenperformed by tedious manual operations which make the manufacture offlock printed design fabrics expensive and which has retarded widespread use of such flocked fabrics; It is the purpose of this inventionto apply the multicolored adhesive areas forming component parts of ainulti-color flock design to the base fabric by an automatic machine nowto be fully described.

In a multi-color flock printing apparatus, separate adhesive printingunits are required for the different colors incorporated in a design,and in Figures 3 and 9 two such units are shown for the printing of a,two color design, and for illustrative purposes, A designates anadhesive printing unit for the printing of the color brown, and B a unitfor the printing of the color yellow. These two units cooperate in amanner which will be better understood after reading a description ofthe construction and operation of one of the printing machine unitswhich are identical, except for the different color design componentswhich they print.

Each printing unit is designated II] in its entirety, and which includesan elongated pedestal base H having a flat top l2 provided with V-shaped track grooves l'3--| 3 in its upper face and the line 6-6 ofwhich are disposed transversely of the top l2 adjacent the ends thereof.Slidably sup-ported upon the top of the base for adjustment transverselythereof is a saddle-plate |4 having V-shaped track rails |5|5 extendingtransversely from the underside thereof and which respectively seat inthe V-shaped track grooves |3|3. Rising upwardly from the saddle-plateI4 and extending lengthwise thereof are two rows of spaced alinedinverted V-shaped track rails |6|6 which slidably support a bed-plate Hhaving inverted V- shaped track grooves |8|6 in its under side and whichextend lengthwise thereof. The bedplate I! is slidable at right angle tothe directional movement of the saddle-plate M on which it is supportedand the individual means for slidably actuating the saddle-plate andbed-plate for adjustment purposes will presently be described. Formedintegral with and extending beyond the front side of the bed-platemidway between its ends are alined depending bearings |9| 9 in which amain drive shaft 2i] is journaled and which is free and clear of the topplate l2 and saddle-plate l4, there being suificient clearance betweenthese parts so as not to interfere with the relative sliding adjustmentof the saddle-plate and bed-plate. A worm gear 2| is slidably splined tothe shaft 29 as at 22 and arranged intermediate the bearings |9|9. Thedrive shaft is driven by any suitable source of power (not shown) and isoperatively connected to all of the multi-color printing units, heredesignated A and B for simultaneous synchronized operation.

For the purpose of sliding and adjustably setting the saddle-plate I4,there is a screw shaft 23 journaled in the base crosswise of and beneaththe fiat top l2 and to one end thereof a hand wheel 24 is fixedlyattached. A lug 25 depends from the saddle-plate l4 and extends througha slot 26 in the fiat top I2. The lug 25 has a threaded bore 21 whichthreads to the screw shaft 23, thus by manually turning the hand wheel24, the saddle-plate |4 may be shifted transversely of the flat top |2of the pedestal base The sliding and adjusting means for the bedplateconsists of a screw shaft 28 journaled in upstanding arms 29-49 disposedat opposite ends of the bed plate ll. The ends of the screw shaft 28 aresquared to receive a hand crank 30 to facilitate the manual turning ofthe said shaft from either end thereof. The mid-portion of the screwshaft 28 passes through and is threaded to upstanding threaded bearings3 |3| provided on the saddle-plate l4 and freely extending through aslot 32 provided in the bed-plate Thus by manual turning of the crank33, the bed-plate I! may be moved lengthwise relative to thesaddle-plate M to facilitate adjustment of the adhesive applicator orprinting means of one unit relative to that of the next unit or units.

The tops of the upstanding arms 2929 support inverted V-shapedhorizontal track rails 33 which are disposed transversely relative tothe bed-plate and which track rails slidably support a substantiallyU-shaped carriage frame 34 having outwardly extending bearing lugs 35provided with inverted V-shaped grooves 36 which receive the track rails33 whereby the carriage frame may freely reciprocate crosswise ortransversely relative to the bed-plate l7. Fixedly secured to andextending upwardy from the carriage frame 34 are spaced longitudinallyalined leg member 31 which rigidly support a flat elongated table 38over which the fabric to be printed freely passes. The fabric isprotected against direct contact with the table by an endless belt orblanket 39 which passes around a roller 40 mounted on a shaft 4|journaled in spaced alined bearings 42 rising upwardly from thebed-plate H. The roller 40 is disposed at the forward side of the tablewhile a roller 43 mounted on a shaft 44 is journaled in alined bearings45 disposed at the other or rear side of the table. The blanket 39passes about the roller 43 with the top operating lead thereof extendingfrom the roller 43 in horizontal alinement with the table 38. The roller40 is disposed below the plane of the roller 43 so that the blanket ispulled down wardly at an angle after passing over the table, as bestillustrated in Figure 5. The lower or return lead of the blanket 39passes over'a driven roller 46 located closely adjacent the roller 40 ingripping relation thereto. The roller 46 is fixedly mounted upon a shaft41 journaled in the bearings 42. An idler roller 48 mounted in the legmembers 31 bears against the upper side of the lower or return lead ofthe endless blanket to guide and tension the same. One end of the shaft4'! has a gear 49 fixed thereto which is in constant mesh with anintermediate driven gear 50mounted on a stub shaft 5| journaled in theadjacent bearing 42. The gear 50 receives its power and is in constantmesh with a driving gear 52 fixed to a shaft 53 which extends from oneend of the bed-plate IT to the other end, the same being journaled inend bearings 54-54 provided on the bed-plate and also in the bearings42-42. Also fixed to the shaft 53 is a relatively large worm gear 55which has constant meshing engagement with the worm 2|. Thus power istransmitted from the drive shaft 20 to the shaft 53 through the worm 2|,worm gear 55,'to stub shaft 5| through gears 5250, and thence to theshaft 41 through gears 50 and 49. Rotation of the shaft 41 in aclockwise direction serves to move the top lead of the blanket 39forwardly and the bottom lead thereof rearwardly as indicated by thearrows in Figure 5.

For protecting the endless blanket 39 from becoming soiled by coloredadhesive which may penetrate the fabric during the stencil printing ofthe adhesive substance thereon, there is provided a movable paper strip56 which leads from a paper roll 51 journaled in the bearings 45rearward of the roller 43. The paper strip extends forwardly over thetop lead of the blanket 39, passes about the rollers 40 and 46 with thev blanket, and thence forwardly where it is wound upon a winding roller56 mounted on a shaft 59 journaled in brackets 60 mounted on the frontside of the bed-plate IT. The paper strip travels with the blanket 39for it is pulled with the blanket by its passage between the cooperatingfeed roller 40 and 46. The winding roller 58 is driven by a slip driveconsisting of alined pulleys 6| and 62 respectively mounted on theshafts 59 and 53 over which pulleys a crossed belt 63 passes.

Rotation of the shaft 53 imparts horizontal reciprocation to thecarriage frame 34 by eccentric crank connections now to be explained.Fixed to the ends of the shaft 53 are disks 64-64, each disk having aneccentric wrist pin 65 extending therefrom to which one end of aconnecting rod 65 is pivotally connected, the other end of theconnecting rod being pivotally connected to the front of the carriage 34as at 61. By connecting the ends of the carriage frame 34 to therecipro- Gating drive mechanism a uniformback and forth force is appliedto'thecarria'ge frame to effect free smooth sliding of the samealon'gthe track rails 33-33 during rotation of the driven shaft 53. I

The fabric to be printed upon is designated F and is taken from a roll(not shown) mounted beyond the head end of a battery of the ali'nedadhesive printing machine units and in Figure 8 it would be disposedbeyond the rear side of the unit A. The fabric passes: over the table 38of each adhesive printing machine unit and the side or selvage edgesthereof extend beyond the side edges of the table to be gripped by theclips C of a tentering machine .T to hold the cloth taut and feed thesame along the entire length of the battery of multi-color flockprinting machine units. The clips C are carried along an endless chain Dand the chain travels at a speed corresponding to the speed of travel ofthe blanket 39 and paper strip 56 and in the same direction as the toplead of the saidbl'anket. Tentering machines are well known in the artof processing silk, rayon, and otherfabrics so that it'is not believednecessary to enter into a lengthy description thereof, other than to saythat it serves to hold the fabric F taut during its travel along thelength of the battery of muli-color adhesive printing units and impartsthe desired continuous uniform feeding movement to the fabric to beflocked. One example of a tentering machine of the type above referredto is that manufactured by Van Vlaanderen Machine Company.

Extending upwardly from and mounted on the arms of the carriage frameare slotted frame members 68-68 which are fixedly secured tothe armsrespectively as by bolts. Slidably connected to the frame members 68-69for up and down movement are end members 69-69 which are connected by abar I6 extending lengthwise of the machine and disposed beneath thetable 38. The end members 69 are guided in their vertical slidingmovements by vertical guiderails II secured to the inner faces of theframe members 68. Fixedly secured to the upper ends of the end members69 and disposed above the table 38 is a carrier plate I2 in which thelower receptacle sections I3 of the adhesive applicator or printingdevices G are mounted. The adhesive printing devices G are arranged intwo longitudinal rows, those devices inone row being staggered withrespectto those of the other row. However, there may be more than tworows of devices G, and if desired, they may be transversely alinedinstead of' staggered without departing from the spirit of theinvention. The lower receptacle section I3 of each device G consists ofa cylindrical body I4 threaded in an opening I5 in the plate I2 and adischarge nozzle section 16 also threaded in the Opening I5 anddepending downwardly from the plate I2. The bottom of the nozzle section I6 consists of and is closed by a fiat perforated stencil disk I'Ihaving perforations I8 provided therein in the form of the design to beflock printed as best illustrated in Figure 9. The lower receptaclesections I3 of the printing devices G contain a colored adhesivesubstance such as paint which is used in the art of flock printing. Thecolor of the adhesive substance depends upon the color of the dyed flockto be applied to the adhesive areas to be printed upon the fabric in themaking of colored designs. The consistency of the .adhesive substance issuch that it will not freely flowthrough the stencil openings I8;.but.niust-be forcibly ejected therermmby means presently to be. described.

Extendinglngthwise er the carriage. frame 34 and journaled in upstandingbearings 19-19 is a driven shaft 86 which receives its power from thedriven shaft 53 with which it is operatively connected by a driveconnection in a manner now to be explained. The shaft 86 is disposed ona plane below the bar I6 in vertical alinement therewith, and fixedadjacent one end of the said shaft is a bevel gear 8I which is inconstant mesh with a bevel gear 82 fixed to the outer end of a splinedshaft section 83 which is journaled in a bearingjj84 pivoted to theshaft 86. The splined shaftj section 83 slides in the socket or tubularportion 85 of a splined shaft section 86, the latter being journaled ina bearing 81 pivoted on the shaft: 53.. and the outer end thereofcarries a bevel gear 38 which is in constant mesh with a bevel gear 89fixed to the shaft 53. It will thus be seen that as the carriage frame34 moves back and forth, power is transmitted from the shaft 53 to theshaft 86', the sliding telescoping splined shaft sections 63 and 86compensating for the relative movement of the carriage frame withrespectto the shaft 86.

The up and down movements of the lower receptacle sections I3 of theadhesive printing devices G are controlled by a pair of identical cams96-96 fixed to and disposed adjacent the opposed ends of the shaft 66.Each cam 96 consists of a high concentric cam surface 9| which extendsslightly more than one hundred and eighty degrees; and a low concentricsurface 92 2 extending the remaining distance of the periphcry of thecam. Journaled in bearings 93-93 attached to and depending from theunderside of the bar III, are rollers 94-94. which constantly engage theperipheries of the respective cams 96-96 for 'contactwith the camsurfaces 9|. and 92 thereof for the purpose of raising and lowering thecarrier plate I2 on which thelower receptacle sections of the printingdevices G are mounted. The carrier plate I2 is under a constant downwardpressure exerted by expansible springs. 95 interposed between the topsof the end members 69-69 and seatmembers' 96 swivelly connected to thelower ends of screws 9I-9'I threaded in the top of the frame members68-68. The tension of the springs 95 may be accurately adjusted by theturning of the screws 91 and each screw held in a set position by jambnut 98 threaded thereon and screwed tight against the top of the framemember 68. The ends of the machine are boxed in by casings 99 which riseupwardly from the arms 29-29 of the saddle plate II. The casings arefastened to the arms 29-29 by bolts I66.

Extending through a vertical bore I6I in each end member 69 is a rodI62. The lower ends of the rods are: screw threaded and pass throughopenings. I63 provided adjacent the ends of a bar I64 disposed directlybeneath the shaft 86. Nuts I65 are threaded to the lower screw threadedends of the rods I62 and engage opposite sides of the bar I64 forsecurely fastening the bar to the rods. The upper ends of. the rods I62extend well above the tops of the end members 69 and are provided withshoulders or flanges I66 and with a reduced screw threaded portion I61.The shoulders or flanges I66 support the ends of a carrier plate I68having openings I69 through which the threaded portions I6'I extend.Nuts H6 are threaded to the portions I61 for securely holding the endsof the plate I68 against the shoulders I06. The carrier plate I08supports rows of upper compressor sections III of the ad-' hesiveapplicator devices G. Each upper compressor section III comprises acylindrical body I I2 which is closed at its top, the closed top has ascrew threaded stud II3 extending therefrom which threads into thecarrier plate I08 from the underside thereof. The rows of compressorsections III respectively telescope the exterior of the cylindricalbodies 14 of the lower receptacle sections I3 for sliding movementrelative thereto. The carrier plate I08 which carries the uppercompressor sections III is normally urged upwardly by the tension of theexpansion springs II 4 which surround the rods I02 and which areinterposed between the shoulders or flanges I06 and the top ends of theend members 69. The carrier plate I08 moves up and down in timedrelation to the up and down movement of the carrier plate I2 so as tocompress the liquid adhesive contained in the stencil printing devices Gand forcibly discharge a portion of the same through the stencilopenings I8 but only after the flat stencil nozzle plates H are incontact with the fabric F to be flock printed. For the purpose ofcontrolling the reciprocation of the carrier plate I08, there isprovided cams II-II5 at the ends of the shaft 80. Each cam I I5 has anannular disk like body IIB from the periphery of which a nose cam IIIextends. The periphery of each cam II5 rides over a roller II8 journaledin bearings provided on the bar I 04 and the noses I" of the cams II5are positioned radially with respect to the cam surfaces of the cams 90so that the noses engage the rollers II8 immediately after the rollers94 ride from the high surfaces 9| of the cams 90 to the lower surfaces02 thereof, at which time the stencil disks 1! are in printing contactwith the fabric F. The stencil disks 1! remain in printing contact withthe fabric while the rollers are in contact withthe lower surfaces 92 ofthe cams 90, during which time the carriage frame 34 and all partscarried thereby move with the fabric at the same rate of speed. Thestencil printing devices G contact the fabric when the carriage 34begins its forward movement and is traveling at a rate of speed as thatof the fabric F and remains in such contact until just prior to thelimit of the forward movement of the carriage, at which time the rollers'94 ride onto the high surfaces 9| of the cams lifting the plate I2 andthe lower nozzle sections I3 of the devices G out tially the same timeestablishing contact of the stencil plate 1! with the fabric, andimmediately thereafter the upper sections I I I move down furtherrelative to. the lower'receptacle sections I3 and imparts the desiredpressure necessary to cause the adhesive to fill up the stencil openingsI8, and as the devices G move upwardly, a deposit of colored adhesive isleft on the fabric of a design corresponding to the design formed by thearrangement of the stencil openings. The upward movement of the uppersections I I I relative toxthe lower receptacle sections 13 creates asuction which tends to draw in any adhesive which may be present in thestencil openings, thus keeping the contacting faces of the nozzlesclean. Any colored adhesive which is stencil printed on the fabric F andwhich might pass therethrough is absorbed by the paper backing sheet 56,thus protecting the endless blanket 39 from becoming soiled. The uppersheet 56 also prevents any possible soiling of the underside of thefabric, which might occur should the blanket become soiled by reason ofits constant use. The soiledportion of the paper strip 56 is wounduponthe winding roller 60 and when the strip is fully wound thereon, theroller may be removed from its bearings and disposed of and a fresh rollof paper inserted into the machine.

After the adhesive printing machine hereinbefore described has appliedthe ornamental design color adhesive areas to the fabric F, such areasare presented to a flock sifter to receive of contact with the fabric,and with the devices G out of contact with the fabric, the carriage ismoved rearwardly by the links 66 and eccentric crank connections toreturn position for starting the next adhesive printing operation. Theadhesive is shot out of the nozzles by the downward impulse imparted tothe carrier plate I08 by the noses III engaging the rollers H8, andwhich impulse causes the upper compressor sections III to' compress thepocketed air above the level of the adhesive contained within the lowerreceptacle sections I3 and forcibly eject the same into the stencilopenings I8 and deposit adhesive areas corresponding to the shape of theopenings on the top surface of the fabric F. The springs II4 lift thecarrier plate I08 and the compressor sections II to non-operatingposition when the noses II! of the cams II6 ride off the rollers I I8.Briefly, the cycle of movement of the adhesive printing devices G intoengagement with and away from the fabric is as follows: Both sections I3and III move down at substanflock corresponding in color to that of theadhesive areas, and in Figure 8 a rotary flock sifter H is mounted abovethe fabric F beyond the front side of the adhesive printing'machine unitA. Flock dropped by the sifter settles on the fabric and any designadhesive areas which have been printed by the unit A such as theequidistantly spaced brown adhesive dots X in Figure 9; will pick up theflock and cause it to stick to the fabric. The fabric after havingreceived a deposit of flock from the flock sifter H passes over beatersticks J which beat the underside of the fabric to loosen any flock notstuck to the colored adhesive areas or dots X. The fabric continuesto'move in the direction of the second adhesive printing machine unit Bby means of the tentering machine T, and after passing the beatingsticks the flocked brown areas or dots X pass between suction nozzles KKrespectively disposed above'and beneath the fabric so as to forciblydraw from the opposed sides of the fabric, any loose flock, thus leavingthat flock upon the fabric which is secured thereto by the adhesiveareas or dots X. The flocked dot areas 7 X which form only part of amulti-color composite flock design now pass to and respectively aline upwith the adhesive applicator devices G of the stenciladhesive printingmachine unit B and receive the next-colored adhesive areas to besubsequently flocked. In the drawings, the second colored component ofthe flock design consists of yellow petal-like areas Y and combined withthe brown. flocked areas X, they form, when subsequently coated withyellow flock, equidistantly spaced brown and yellow flower designs. Theyellow flock is applied in the same manner as the brown flockhereinbefore mentioned, and whereas there is shown an illustrated simpleflower design consisting of two colored flocked components, variousdesigns of unlimited multi-colors may be produced, there being onemachine such as specifically shown and described for the printing ofeach adhesive color designcomponent'the same being arranged in alinedtandem formation as illustrated at A and B in Figure 8. True alinementof the adhesive printing devices G of the respective units and withrespect to the speed of travel of the fabric is essential for producinga perfect multicolor design, hence the necessity of the means foradjusting the saddle-plate l4 transversely of its base H, and thebed-plate I'I lengthwise relative to the saddle-plate, it beingunderstood that the adhesive printing head of the machine is supportedand reciprocated upon the bed plate.

In Figures 10 and 11 there is illustrated a modified form .of adhesiveprinting head wherein all of the stencil printing devices receive theirsupply of adhesive from a common reservoir. The lower carrier plate I2supports a rectangular shaped tank 14 in which the colored adhesive isplaced. Threaded into the plate and communicating withv the interior ofthe tank are rows of spaced staggered nozzles 16 having'flat stencildisks [8 at the lower ends thereof. The carrier plate 12 is moved up anddown similar to the carrier plate 12 hereinbefore described. Telescopingthe open-top of the tank 14 is a compressor section H l which is securedto the underside of the upper carrier plate I08. The carrier plate I08moves up and down in timed relation to the carrier plate 12 so as tocompress the air within the tank and forcibly ejectithe adhesive throughthe stencil openings 18 and onto'the fabric being flock printed. Byproviding a tank common to all of the stencil printin'g nozzles,the samemay be quickly filled with adhesive when the supply. becomes low orexhausted. The stencil printing devices G hereinbefore described mayalso be easily and expeditiously filled byunscrewin'g the nuts H andlifting the plate I08 from the rods I02, whereupon the open tops of thelowerreceptacle sections)" are exposed and the adhesive may be placedtherein.

Whilewe have specifically referred throughout that the machine Inisintendedfor multi- .color flock printing uponfjfabric, it will beunder stood that itmay be used in flock printing upon wall paper forproducing colored designs thereon. Furthermore, the drawingsareillustrative of one particular design and construction, and we do notwish to limit ourselves thereto, for such changes in design andconstruction as come within the scope of the appended claims mayberesorted to if desired Without departing'from the spirit-of theinvention.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by'L'etters Patent of the United States, is: r

1. In a machine for flock printing upon fabric or the like, a table, afabric or like sheet to be flock printed, means for continuously movingthe sheet across said table at a uniform rate of speed, verticallymovable adhesive applicator devices superposed relative to said table,each adhesive applicator device including an adhesive receptacle havingstencil openings in the bottom wall thereof, means for bringing thebottom walls of the'receptacles of the'adhesive applicator devices intostencil printing contact with the fabric, automatic means for forciblyejecting adhesive from the receptacles through said stencil openingswhen the devices are in contact with the fabric and. means forsubsequently moving the adhesive applicator means away from the fabricand returning it to its original position.

2. ma machme forapplying adhesive for flock printing upon a fabric orthe like, a table, means for continuously moving "a sheet of fabric orthe like to be printed upon across said table, vertically reciprocableadhesive printing devices superposed relative to said table, each of theadhesive printing devices including an adhesive receptacle having abottom wall provided with stencil openings arranged in spaced relationto form the design to be printed, means for initially bringing the,

bottom walls of the receptacles into printing contact with the sheet,automatic means for forcibly ejecting adhesive from the receptaclesthrough the stencil openings when the bottom walls of the receptaclesare in printing contact with the fabric, means for maintaining theadhesive printing means in contact with the sheet during movementthereof, and means for subsequently releasing the printing means fromthe sheet and returning it to its original position.

3. In a machine for applying spots of adhesive to a fabric or the like,a fiat table, a taut fabric sheet movable across the table at, a uniformrate of speed, adhesive applicator means superposed relative to saidtable, said applicator means including spaced'adhesive containingreceptacles, eachreceptacle having a bottom wall provided with dischargeopenings suitably arranged to form a design to be printed, means forbringing the bottom walls of the adhesive applicator means in contactwith the fabric during movement thereof;across "said table, automaticmeans for forcibly discharging adhesive from the discharge openings whenthe bottom walls of the receptacles are in printing contact with thefabric, means for causingthe applicator means to travel a pre-'determined distance at the same rate of speed as the fabric, and meansfor subsequently releasing the bottom walls of the applicator meansiromthe fabric and return it to its original posi- 4. Ina machine forapplying ornamental adhesive spots upon fabric or the like to be flockprinted, a flat reciprocal table, means for holding a sheet of fabrictaut across said table and for moving it at a uniform rate of speed,adhesive applicator means superposed relative to said table, saidapplicator means including spaced adhesive containing receptacles, eachreceptacle having a bottom wall provided with discharge openingssuitably-arranged to 'form a design to be printed, means for bringingthe bottom walls of the adhesive applicator means in printing contactwith the fabric, automatic means for forcibly discharging adhesive fromthe discharge openings when the bottom walls of the receptacles are inprinting contact With the fabric, means for simultaneously moving thetable and the applicator means forwardly a predetermined distance at thesame rate of speed asthe movement of the fabric with the applicatormeans inprinting contact with the fabric, means for moving theapplicator means outof contact with the fabric upon the limit of forwardmovement of the same, means for moving the applicator means and, thetable rearwardly in a direction opposite to the direction of travel ofthe fabric to return them to their original positions for the nextsubsequent printing operation.

5. In a machine for applying ornamental adhesive spots upon fabrics tobe flock printed, a supporting structure, a carriage slidably mounted onsaid supporting structure for horizontal reciprocable movement, meansfor imparting reciprocable movement to said carriage, a flat tablemounted on said carriage over which the fabric its forward movement,means operable when the applicator means initially contacts the fabricfor forcibly discharging adhesive through the perforated bottom walls ofthe receptacles, means for holding the applicator means in printingpositionduring such forward movement of the carriage, and means formoving the adhesive applicator means away from the table when thecarriage reaches a position adjacent the limit of its forward movement.

6. In a machine of the class described, a stationary base, asaddle-plate slidably supported by said. base, a bed-plate slidablymounted on said saddle-plate for movement at right angle to the slidingmovement of the saddle-plate to facilitate relative adjustment betweenthe saddle-plate and the bed-plate, means for securing the bedplate andthe saddle-plate in relative adjusted positions, a carriage slidablysupported by said bed-plate for forward and rearward horizontalreciprocable movement, a table fixedly supported upon said carriage overwhich a length of fabric to be flocked is adapted to pass, a tenteringmachine having its traveling grippers disposed beyond the ends of thetable for holding the fabric taut thereacross and for moving the samethereover, vertically reciprocable adhesive printing means mounted onsaid carriage and superposed relative to said table, means for movingthe adhesive printing means down into contact with a sheet of fabricpositioned over said table when the carriage starts its forward slidingmovement and for holding the applicator means in such position until thecarriage nears the limit of its forward sliding movement, and means formoving the applicator means upwardly and for holding it away from thefabric during the return backward movement of the carriage.

7. Ina machine for applying ornamental design areas of adhesive to alength of fabric to be flock printed, a supporting structure, a carriageslidably mounted upon said supporting structure for horizontal forwardand rearward movement, a table mounted on said carriage over which thefabric to be flock printed passes, means for moving said carriageforwardly at the same rate of speed and in the same direction as thetravel of the fabric and for moving said carriage rearwardly in adirection opposite to the direction of travel of the fabric, avertically reciprocable frame mounted in said carriage and having acarrier plate disposed over the table, one or more rows of adhesiveapplicator devices carried by said carrier plate, each of the applicatordevices including a receptacle body containing an adhesive liquid andhaving a downwardly facing discharge nozzle having suitably arrangedstencil openings forming a design unit to be printed, means for movingsaid frame downwardly when the carriage starts its forward movement tobring the stencil discharge nozzles of the adhesive applicator devicesinto printing contact with the fabric and for so holding the same untilthe carriage nears the limit of its movement in a forward direction,means for forcing adhesive under pressure from initial contact of thenozzles with the fabric, and means for moving the frame upwardly as thecarriage nears the limit of its forward movement to cause the stencildischarge nozzles to disengage the fabric and for so holding the sameduring the rearward return movement of the carriage.

8. In a machine for applying ornamental design areas of adhesive tofabric to be flock printed, a table on which the fabric to be flockprinted is positioned, a carrier member, means for slidably mountingsaid carrier member above said table for up and down movement, adhesivereceptacles mounted on said carrier member in which liquid adhesive iscontained, each adhesive receptacle having a downwardly facing dischargenozzle provided with stencil openings, means for moving the carriermember downwardly to cause the nozzles thereof to contact a fabricpositioned on said table, means for forcibly ejecting adhesive from thereceptacles through the stencil openings when the nozzles are in contactwith the fabric, and means for moving the carrier member upwardly tocause the nozzles of the receptacles to disengage the fabric.

9. In a machine for applying ornamental design areas of adhesive to alength of fabric to be flock printed, a supporting structure, a carriageslidably mounted upon said supporting structure for horizontal forwardand rearward movement, a table mounted on said carriage over which thefabric to be flock printed passes, means for moving said carriageforwardly at the same rate of speed and in the same direction as thetravel of the fabric and for moving said carriage rearwardly in adirection opposite to the direction of travel of the fabric, avertically reciprocable frame mounted in said carriage and having acarrier plate disposed over the table, one or more rows of adhesiveapplicator devices carried by said carrier plate, each of the applicatordevices including a receptacle body containing an adhesive liquid andhaving a downwardly facing stencil discharge nozzle, means for movingsaid frame downwardly when the carriage starts its forward movement tobring the stencil discharge nozzles of the adhesive applicator devicesinto printing contact with the fabric and for so holding the same untilthe carriage nears the limit of its movement in a forward direction,means for moving the frame upwardly as the carriage nears the limit ofits forward movement to cause the receptacles through the stencilopenings upon the stencil discharge nozzles to disengage the fabric andfor so holding the same during the rearward return movement of thecarriage, and automatic means for forcibly ejecting adhesive liquid fromthe applicator devices when the discharge nozzles thereof contact thefabric to be flock printed.

10. In a machine of the class described, a stationary base, asaddle-plate slidably supported by said base, a bed-plate slidablymounted on said saddle-plate for movement at right angle to the slidingmovement of the saddle-plate to facilitate relative adjustment betweenthe saddle-plate and the bed-plate, means for securing the bed-plate andthe saddle-plate in relative adjusted positions, a carriage slidablysupported by said bedplate for forward and rearward horizontalreciprocable movement, a table fixedly supported upon said carriage overwhich length of fabric to be flocked is adapted to pass, verticallyreciprocable adhesive printing means mounted on said carriage andsuperposed relative to said table, means for moving the adhesiveprinting means down into contact with a sheet of fabric positioned oversaid table when the carriage starts its forward sliding movement and forholding the applicator means in such position until the carriage nearsthe limit of its forward sliding movement, and means for moving theapplicator means upwardly and for holding it away from the fabric duringthe return backward movement of the carriage.

11. In a machine of the class described, a stationary base, asaddle-plate slidably supported by said base, a bed-plate slidablymounted on said saddle-plate for horizontal sliding movement at rightangle to the sliding movement of the saddle-plate, means for securingthe bed plate and the saddle-plate in relative adjusted positions, atable supported by the bed-plate over which a length of fabric to beflocked is adapted to pass, a frame structure mounted on said bedplate,vertically reciprocable adhesive printing means mounted in said frameand superposed relative to said table, and means for impartingreciprocable movement to said adhesive printing means to alternatelymove the same into and out of printing engagement with the fabric as itpasses over the table.

12. In a machine for applying adhesive design areas to a fabric to beflock printed, a table over which the fabric to be flock printed isadapted to pass, an adhesive printing mechanism including a verticallyreciprocable support, a plurality of applicator nozzle carried by saidsupport and disposed above said table, each applicator nozzle having abottom wall provided with suitably arranged discharge openings definingthe design to be flock-printed, means for supplying adhesive to theapplicator nozzles, means for imparting vertical reciprocation to saidreciprocable support for alternately causing the bottom walls of thenozzles to move down into printing contact with the fabric and upwardlyaway therefrom, and pressure means operable upon contact of the nozzleswith the fabric for forcibly ejecting adhesive from the nozzles throughthe discharge openings therein. I

' NORMAN C. THACKERAY.

GEORGE NEWTON LUSBY.

